ONE of Adelaide's leading businessmen has accused the AFL of censorship and discrimination after it banned a public advertising campaign supporting the people in Palestine.

The AFL last week banned the words “Save Palestine; Save Gaza” and “Help the children of Palestine” from being displayed on billboards at Adelaide Oval branding them political statements.

The pro-Palestinian campaign, organised and to be funded by Argo Restaurant owner Daniel Milky, was to raise money for The Australian Friends of Palestine Association.

Association chairman Dr Sam Shahin, whose family owns the On the Run franchise, said the AFL should be ashamed of itself for banning the appeal, which was to launch at Saturday’s clash between the Adelaide Crows and West Coast.

“I cannot believe in this day and age we censor this sort of humanitarian appeal to help other people in need,” he said.

“Whoever has made the call to ban this type of humanitarian appeal, I hope they can sleep comfortably with that.

“I am just appalled we face this sort of reaction when I thought it would have been the exact opposite and that the would have fostered this sort of behaviour.”

Mr Shahin, whose parents emigrated from Palestine to Lebanon and then to Adelaide in 1984, said the AFL’s actions were “discrimination”.

AFL media relations manager Patrick Keane said the league did not accept “political statements whether they are state politics, federal politics and international politics”.

Mr Milky she had become so concerned about the plight of children in Gaza that he wanted to promote a donations appeal at Adelaide Oval to support the Friends of Palestine.

“The plight of Gaza has become a community issue and part of daily discussion and lots of people want to know what they can do to help,” he said.

“So, I decided to run these 30-second promotional ads during football games.”

Mr Milky said that on Thursday, the Adelaide Football Club had approved and then rejected the wording “Save Palestine, Save Gaza. Donate to www.afopa.com.au”

On Friday he amended the message to: “Help the children in Palestine”.

Crows business development manager Paul Harrison wrote to Mr Milky that morning stating the club supported the new message.

“After speaking to (chief operating officer) Nigel Smart and after discussing the new LED message we are happy to proceed,” he said in a copy of the letter sighted by the Sunday Mail.

“We will work with (creative design company) Kojo and do all we can to make it happen for this weeks (sic) game.”

But Mr Milky said he was advised later that day, by phone, that the message could not run but said he received no explanation as to why.

A Crows spokesman said: “The club consulted the AFL and it was deemed inappropriate.

“The AFL has the final say on all advertising material and the league does not allow any material to be displayed as a political statement.”